Ngaimpe Aboriginal Corporation is seeking donations to establish NSW’s first Aboriginal Community Controlled Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre for Women. 

Data over the past two decades undeniably shows that the rate of Aboriginal Women in NSW having drug and alcohol problems is growing. The imprisonment rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women has increased 148 per cent since the Royal Commission in Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. In NSW, Aboriginal women make up 2 per cent of the adult female population, but represent 24 per cent of the female prison population, with over 80% linking their offending to substance abuse issues.

NADA (Network of Alcohol and Drug Agencies), peak body in NSW, has identified “There are no specific residential alcohol and other drug services for Aboriginal women with or without children, and that this is definitely a service gap.”

The centre will initially service over 80 women per year, with the potential to service over 2,000 clients in 10 years time if investment is sustained.